SIPRI Yearbook 2011
X. North Korea’s military nuclear capabilities
North Korea demonstrated a military nuclear capability by carrying out underground nuclear test explosions in October 2006 (with an estimated yield of less than 1 kt) and May 2009 (with an estimated yield of about 2–3 kt).127 In both tests the estimated yield of the explosions was much lower than the yields of the initial nuclear tests conducted by other states. The US intelligence community called the 2006 test a failure and considered that the 2009 test ‘was apparently more successful than the 2006 test’.128 It also assessed that North Korea had the capability to produce nuclear weapons, although it was unclear whether it had done so.129 There has been considerable speculation that North Korea may have obtained weapon design assistance from abroad.130
- Citation (MLA):
- Kile, Shannon N., Vitaly Fedchenko, Bharath Gopalaswamy, and Hans M. Kristensen. "7. World nuclear forces." SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2025. <https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780199695522/sipri-9780199695522-div1-83.xml>.
- Citation (APA):
- Kile, S., Fedchenko, V., Gopalaswamy, B., & Kristensen, H. (2016). 7. World nuclear forces. In SIPRI, SIPRI Yearbook 2011: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 16 Feb. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780199695522/sipri-9780199695522-div1-83.xml
- Citation (Chicago):
- Kile, Shannon N., Vitaly Fedchenko, Bharath Gopalaswamy, and Hans M. Kristensen. "7. World nuclear forces." In SIPRI Yearbook 2011: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, SIPRI. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). Retrieved 16 Feb. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780199695522/sipri-9780199695522-div1-83.xml
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